I remember very clearly every argument I had with my dad about why I wanted to go to college right out of high school instead of a gap year or community college. Now, after my first semester, I really wish I had listened to him.

The most obvious reason why a gap year is a good idea is the fact that I could have saved a helluva lot more money than I have saved now. When my bill for second semester came out, I was worried because I really did not earn enough money this past summer. To give some perspective, I made about $3500 between May and August. Imagine how much money I would have saved if I had taken a year or two off.

Secondly, is the ambition to travel. That’s twelve extra months to go to any place in the world you wanted. I could have gone to stay with family in Belgium, or visited my foreign exchange sister in Germany. Or I could have hiked El Camino del Santiago. I could have gone anywhere.

Recently, I was on a walk with a good friend and he asked me why I decided against taking a year off and it caught me off guard, because I honestly could not answer his question. I had no clue why. I still have no clue why. To cover up that fact, I gave him some bullshit answer like, “Does anybody really know why?” or “It felt like that’s what I was supposed to do.” Ever since then, I haven’t been able take my mind off of the topic. Why was I so against taking a year off, or attending community college for two years? I really do wish I knew.

Sometimes people think that taking a gap year or attending community college makes others smaller than someone who goes to college straight out of high school. I can tell you right now that that is not the case, at all. It’s arguable that it actually does quite the opposite. It saves money, and allows you to grow a little more as a person before you go into the real world. I know plenty of people who have, and are, taking a gap year or are enrolled in a community college and all I can think of is how lucky they are to have their wits about them. I wish I was smart enough to have listened to my Dad’s advice. Dad, if you’re reading this, I really am sorry I never listened. You were only trying to help.

Now, don’t get me wrong, college isn’t bad or anything. Aside from the thousands of dollars a year it costs to attend, it’s great. I really do love it. I love the people and the experience I’m getting and the location I get to live in. It’s just that sometimes, when I start to think about my life, I find myself wondering, “did I really make the right decision?”